Chauntea
The Grain Goddess The Great Mother | symbol = | aspects = Bhalla (Rashemen) Chantea (Wa) Earthmother (Moonshae) Jannath (Netheril Pahluruk (Great Glacier) Yondalla (halflings) | power = | primordial = | pantheon = | power5e = | alignment5e = Neutral good | symbol5e = Sheaf of grain or a blooming rose over grain | homeplane5e = | realm5e = | serves5e = | servedby5e = | portfolio5e = Agriculture | domains5e = Life | worshipers5e = Druids, farmers, gardeners | cleric alignments5e = | channel divinity5e = Preserve life | holy days5e = | class5e = | refs5e = | power4e = | alignment4e = Lawful good | symbol4e = | dominion4e = | realm4e = Green Fields | serves4e = | servedby4e = Sheela Peryroyl | sphere4e = Life | domains4e = Earth, Hope, Life | worshipers4e = | cleric alignments4e = | channel divinity4e = Chauntea's blessing | holy days4e = | class4e = | refs4e = | power3e = Greater deity | alignment3e = Neutral good | symbol3e = Blooming rose on a wreath of golden grain | homeplane3e = House of Nature | realm3e = | serves3e = | servedby3e = | portfolio3e = Agriculture Crops Farmers Gardeners Summer | domains3e = Animal, Generosity, Good, Plant, Protection, Renewal | worshipers3e = Peasants and indentured servants, druids, farmers, and gardeners | cleric alignments3e = | favored weapon3e = A shock of grain (scythe) | holy days3e = | class3e = | refs3e = | power2e = Greater deity | alignment2e = Neutral good | symbol2e = | homeplane2e = Elysium/Eronia | realm2e = Great Mother's Garden | serves2e = | servedby2e = | portfolio2e = Agriculture Crops Farmers Gardeners Summer | spheres2e = | worshipers2e = | cleric alignments2e = | holy days2e = | class2e = | refs2e = | power1e = Greater deity | alignment1e = Neutral good | symbol1e = Budding flower on a wreath of golden grain | homeplane1e = Elysium | realm1e = | serves1e = | servedby1e = | portfolio1e = Agriculture | worshipers1e = | cleric alignments1e = | holy days1e = | class1e = | refs1e = | animals = Larks Robins Red hens | plants = Seeds | monsters = Sprites Talking trees | minerals = | colors = Forest green, white, yellow | misc manifestations = Unexpected flowers growing with great speed Light motes | manifestation refs = }} Chauntea ( ) the Grain Goddess or the Great Mother was the goddess of life and a parallel deity to Silvanus, who was considered the god of wild nature, whilst Chauntea herself was seen as being the embodiment of all things agrarian or agriculture. She was a goddess of agriculture, plants cultivated by humans, farmers, gardeners, and summer. Some of her worshipers claimed that her divine glimmer gave life to the natural world, and some contended that she was the creator and source of all mortal races. In some sense, Chauntea was the manifestation of the earth itself—the avatar of the twin worlds Abeir-Toril. Her most despised enemy was Talona, the lady of pestilence, since she had a disposition to wreak suffering, disease and decay upon the natural world. Divine Realm In the Great Wheel cosmology, Chauntea maintained her divine realm named Great Mother's Garden on Elysium's second layer of Eronia. She shared it with the otherworldy god of crops Liu from the Chinese pantheon. History Chauntea was believed to be one of the eldest gods in Faerûn—she was born when Toril was created by the primeval battles between Shar and Selûne. Selûne favored her and nurtured her with her light, with the help of Mystra. Aspects Before her days as the "Great Mother", she was said to have been named "Jannath", and in her early days, she frequented places of overgrown nature, wilderness, and packs of animals. This role became much more Silvanus's, though in the Moonshae Isles Chauntea was still worshiped as Jannath. In the wake of the Spellplague, Yondalla was reported to be an aspect of Chauntea. While the Earthmother was considered to be a very prominent aspect of Chauntea in the Moonshae Isles, the Earthmother was actually a primal spirit. In Rashemen, she was worshiped as a member of the triumvirate of goddesses praised there known as The Three with Mielikki (Khelliara) and Mystra (The Hidden One). Here, she was known as "Bhalla". She was worshiped as Pahluruk in and around the Great Glacier. In Wa, she was worshiped as "Chantea" but only by an underground sect who were viewed with distrust or outright hostility. Followers of Chantea were immediately put to death upon discovery. The Juzimura rebellion was noted as the official eradication of her religion in Wa, but there were suspected cells of underground worshipers in isolated areas. Relationships She had strong ties with other deities concerned with nature, such as Shiallia and Mielikki, and she shared a close relationship with Silvanus. She was also known to have romantic affiliations with Lathander. She opposed Talona with utmost vehemence, due to her malefic intent in spreading poison and disease to the natural world. She was always in conflict with Talos. Chauntea battled deities who sought to desecrate and expunge nature; she opposed evil deities such as Malar and Bane, and viewed the latter's resurgence as portentous. Worshipers Chauntea was seen by Faerûnians as a critical aspect of the assumed cycle of life. Private land owners and destitute farmers (perhaps as a consequence of an unproductive harvest) visited the clerics of Chauntea for any divine suggestions for aiding the harvest. If at any time plague or drought struck the crops, farmers looked to Chauntea, since they hoped she would save the harvest, due to her love of nature. The church was an approachable one, in that it welcomed all irrespective of gender or race. The liturgical doctrine of the church was such that it attracted more females than males, due to its preoccupation with femininity, and while female attendees outnumbered men, there was still a range of males that worshiped Chauntea. Chaunteans maintained simplicity when it came to apparel. Druids preferred brown robes and priests preferred to wear a brown cloak with more standard livery such as a tunic underneath. Her temples often had great libraries dedicated to agriculture. Typical Worshipers Though she had a diverse collection of followers, Chauntea was fanatically worshiped by peasants, servants, druids, gardeners, and any others who earned pay from working on farmland. Clerical Practice Clerics prayed for their spells at sundown, as did druids. They usually led dual lives as either gardeners or farmers, and were industrious people. They were expected to appreciate natural beauty and possess a feeling for meditation. The clergy instructed Chauntea's followers that they should make entreaties every sunrise. Compared to other faiths, ecclesiastics appointed few holidays. One holiday that was observed was a festival during Greengrass, which was a festival in which excessive consumption and uninhibited behavior were encouraged. Abundance was an important part of life worshiping the Great Mother. A rite of passage for many of the faith was concerned with Holy Communion. Newly married couples were instructed to spend their first night in fresh fields, supposedly to guarantee a fertile marriage. The clergy observed and recognized the dogma set forth by Chauntea herself, and read the High Prayers of the Harvest at a perennial ceremony, which was usually at the start of harvest. Her clergy were known for ministering in rural communities, and for their willingness to work in the community's fields next to the local farmers. Denominations with the Holy Order The divided clergy of Chauntea was sectarian by nature. Associates of the Chauntean canonry were divided into two camps. Those with ministerial positions who advised farmers and workers all over were named "Pastorals". The rustic, untamed conclave charged with preserving the wilderness referred to themselves, albeit insouciantly, as "True Shapers". The deaconry had by no means any centralized governing body, and was not collective. It promoted individuality and was far less unitary than other faiths. Doctrine The church outlined a general set of precepts and taboos, though some of these were given to subjective interpretation since the faith was individualistic. Chaunteans saw wanton destruction as antithetical to the cycle of life. They were urged to nourish at least one living thing every day of their lives. They were advised to eschew fire also. In terms of correct agricultural practice, the church advised that campaigns of replanting, prudent irrigation and crop rotation were necessary to ensure that the land was kept fertile. However, followers of Silvanus regarded these teachings with derision. They postulated that these practices were an abomination to the natural world and that agriculture was not conservation but manipulation, further arguing that their sect encouraged exploitation and overpopulation. This, Silvanites decreed, was in contradiction with Nature. As a result, some proselytized to the Silvanite faith, though many "Pastorals" disregarded these criticisms. Appendix References Sources *''Faiths & Pantheons'', Eric L. Boyd and Erik Mona, 2002, Wizards of the Coast, ISBN 0-7869-2759-3. *''Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Ed Greenwood, Sean K Reynolds, Skip Williams, and Rob Heinsoo, 2001, Wizards of the Coast, ISBN 0-7869-1836-5. *Martin, Julia, and Eric L Boyd. ''Faiths & Avatars (TSR, 1996). 4th Edition D&D * Connections de:Chauntea Category:Animal domain deities Category:Earth domain deities Category:Generosity domain deities Category:Good domain deities Category:Hope domain deities Category:Life domain deities Category:Nature deities Category:Plant domain deities Category:Protection domain deities Category:Renewal domain deities Category:Faerûnian pantheon Category:Greater deities Category:Neutral good deities Category:Human deities Category:Deities Category:The Three Category:Inhabitants of Green Fields Category:Inhabitants of Eronia Category:Inhabitants of Elysium Category:Inhabitants of the House of Nature Category:Inhabitants of the Outer Planes Category:Inhabitants of the Great Wheel planes Category:Inhabitants of the Neutral Planes Category:Inhabitants of the World Tree planes Category:Inhabitants Category:Good mantle deities Category:Guardian mantle deities Category:Life mantle deities Category:Natural world mantle deities